Annual or perennial herbs; leaves basal, linear, flat or involute; scape terminated by a solitary spikelet or an umbelliform inflorescence or capitate clusters of spikelets, subtended by more or less foliaceous bracts; spikelets with many imbricated scales, nearly all subtending a perfect flower; perianth none; stamens 1-3; style 2-3 parted, enlarged at base, wholly deciduous upon maturity of the achene; achene lenticular or trigonous, verrucose, rugose, or reticulate with quadrangular horizontally elongate shallow pits.